


the fate of singers

by nekrateholic



Category: Boyfriend (Band), The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project (TV), U-KISS, UNB (Band)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 10:49:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14975588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekrateholic/pseuds/nekrateholic
Summary: "He’s a vocalist, not a dancer. He dances like me."





	the fate of singers

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO MONTSHELL ANON PT2  
> i didn't want to post anything before i finished your actual prompt too. i am, again, so sorry it took me this long. please don't hate me <3

The dust around The Unit’s finale hasn’t even properly settled before Boyfriend start preparing for the new song. Being busy is not something Donghyun will ever be mad about but... in all honesty, he could’ve used a week or two of peace after dealing with so many over-excited children for so long. (Before going back to his own children. But that is yet another thing he can never, ever be mad about.)

The new song is not even a complete song yet, just a vague melody and lyric suggestions. They’ve already decided they won’t really have a set, elaborate choreography for it but that doesn’t stop Donghyun from thinking about it. Dancing has never been his forté - that’s usually Minwoo’s part but months of being forced into the triple threat mold made him… think. Maybe he should try harder.

He tries to let the chords crystallize into steps and the rhythm into movement but all he sees is notes. 

A phrase rings in his mind, something one of the newer kids said on a stray King of Mask Singer episode Donghyun caught once. The kid had pointed at whoever poor probably-rookie was behind the mask and said,  _ he’s a vocalist, not a dancer. He dances like me.  _ Donghyun had checked the kid’s position later. Lead vocalist. The masked probably-rookie turned out to be a lead vocalist too. Is that the fate of singers? 

Dongyun tries out a grand swiping motion with one hands when the piano starts. It looks… stilted, to say the least.

He flops back onto the practice room floor. This is, indeed, the fate of singers. Unless you’re someone crazy young and talented - rookies these days are just  _ scary _ , if you ask him.

Even if you don’t, Donghyun knows. He lived with quite a few of them until just a few weeks ago.

Speak of the devil - his phone pings a few feet away. When Donghyun drags his creaky old bones over to fetch it, Junyoung’s name with the dumb emojis (that he put there himself) greets him, bright and… loud.

_ hey hyung?? I kinda need help with something? _

It’s followed by a string of hearts and Donghyun desperately wants to tease him about them. Junyoung has never been good about handling that kind of thing, though. His face when Donghyun questioned his handholding tendencies haunts Donghyun’s conscience to this day.

In the end, he replies with a simple  _ sure, what can i do? _

They agree to meet the next day, after Donghyun’s practice. He  _ did _ offer right now, since he’s not doing anything anyway - but the main difference from rookie Junyoung and Junyoung now is that he knows what feels like  _ everyone _ . Fighting for his free time is a blood bath, it seems.

Donghyun shrugs and tries the swiping move again. Somehow, it looks even worse.

*

“So,” he starts when Junyoung arrives in sunglasses and a scarf ten minutes before their meeting time. “What did you need help with?”

Junyoung looks sheepish even with the sunglasses covering half his face. “You know how the final group is debuting soon, right?”

Donghyun nods. He may or may not have alerts set for every time The Unit pops up in the search engines. May or may not have voted for the name too. It’s nothing anyone can prove but even if they could - they’re his  _ children _ , okay?

“Yeah,” Junyoung continues. “Well, I have a lot of singing lines? I was kinda hoping you’d help me improve.”

Donghyun raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t they provide actual vocal coaches for you?”

Junyoung shrugs. “I mean, they did. But they’re not you?”

“Aww,” Donghyun coos, ruffling Junyoung’s carefully styled hair. Junyoung pouts but says nothing. “I doubt there’s something I can teach you that they can’t but I don’t mind.” A thought pops into his mind, then. Maybe this can be a two birds-one stone kind of thing? “Hey, I kinda need help with something too.”

“Oh?” Junyoung looks up (down, really. Damn kids and their hypergrowth).

*

“This isn’t even a finished melody.” Junyoung states.

Donghyun rolls his eyes. “No shit. Our song is scheduled for sometime in the summer.”

Junyoung nods slowly. “And you need help with..?”

“Choreography?” Donghyun tries. It’s not fair. He shouldn’t feel this awkward in front of a kid eight years younger than him. Yet here he is.

“Aren’t there usually people who take care of this? Like actual dancers?”

The little asshole. “There are,” Donghyun replies, emphasizing each word. “But this song won’t even have proper choreography. I just wanted to try thinking of something and...”

Junyoung is trying not to laugh. Donghyun can see it. He narrows his eyes and Junyoung coughs, all awkward. “Yeah, okay, I can help with that. Play it again.”

The thing is, Junyoung does almost the exact same moves Donghyun thought of. Even the swiping motion. Except when Junyoung does them it looks good. Nothing like the stilted, awkward jerk Donghyun produced last night.

“How do you feel about that?” Junyoung asks when he finishes the half hearted routine.

Donghyun sighs. “Liking it isn’t the problem. The problem is when I try to do it.”

“Ah,” Junyoung says. Donghyun really doesn’t like the smugness in his voice. “Alright old man, let’s teach you how to dance.”

“Excuse you, I can dance just fine!” Donghyun protests because, really? He’s been an idol before Junyoung was even out of high school,  _ the audacity _ -

“Yeah, of course you can. You’re just old. Now come on,” Junyoung says, laughing. Donghyun is denied the opportunity to reply (maybe even launch into a  _ kids these days _ speech) because Junyoung starts the music right after. Donghyun wishes it was a little less loud but - he just follows Junyoung’s movements quietly.

The fate of singers, seriously.

  
  
  


*

(“Hey, you were supposed to give me a singing lesson!” Junyoung exclaims when they leave the practice room a few hours later, sweaty and grumpy (Donghyun, mostly).

“You can ask your fancy young vocal coaches to give you a singing lesson,” he quips.

Junyoung laughs. He’s been doing that a lot this afternoon. “Vocal coaches are rarely young. It’s alright, gramps, I won’t exert your old bones more today.”

Donghyun has the weird urge to stick his tongue out at him. He suppresses it, of course. He’s supposed to be the adult in this relationship.

Junyoung is still a smug little asshole, though.)

**Author's Note:**

> brownie points for everyone who knows who i'm quoting


End file.
